Panthers CB James Bradberry shut down Mike Evans in Week 9. But since then ...

Ten targets. One catch. Sixteen yards.

Only 13 wide receivers since 1999 have had a game with one catch or fewer on at least 10 targets. But one of them was Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans against Carolina in Week 9, when Panthers cornerback James Bradberry held him to one of the most unproductive games of his career.

While Carolina’s third-year cornerback received praise for that performance, his next three games were characterized by the big plays he gave up.

▪ He was beaten badly by Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught a 72-yard touchdown on the Steelers’ first play of the game in Week 10.

▪ He allowed two third-and-long conversions and the go-ahead touchdown to Detroit’s Kenny Golladay in Week 11.

▪ And he lost track of Seattle’s David Moore for a 54-yard gain on third-and-12, which led to a Seahawks touchdown three plays later in Week 12.

“Inconsistent,” Bradberry said of his past three weeks. “I started off strong at the beginning of the season, just haven’t played too well these past few weeks. I’ve got to come into this game preparing to play the best game of the season so far.”

Panthers coach Ron Rivera agreed.

“I think that’s a fair assessment because you watch the many good things that he does, and then something bad happens in each one of those games — and he knows it,” Rivera said. “I really appreciate him characterizing it like that because I do think that’s a very fair assessment. The young man has played spectacular for us at times and done really good things, and then unfortunately (showed) a little inconsistency.

“I think that goes along as he continues to grow and learn that position.”

Whatever Bradberry’s best game looks like, it’s probably reminiscent of his Week 9 performance, when he held one of the NFL’s unquestioned No. 1 receivers 94 yards under his season average at the time.

Evans had caught 13-of-24 targets for 286 yards and a touchdown in the two games before his matchup with Bradberry, but even Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter had to tip his hat to the Panthers’ corner for putting an abrupt end to that hot streak.

“Bradberry definitely got the best of Mike in that last game, he played a heck of a game,” Koetter said. “Mike was a little banged up in that game, Mike’s always played well against Carolina in the past. That game was not indicative of how Mike’s played against Carolina, but it was definitely not his best and Bradberry got the best of that one.”

Tampa Bay’s fifth-year wideout averages five catches and 78.5 receiving yards per game for his career. Those numbers drop to four catches and 57.5 yards per game in nine career games against the Panthers — although he broke off a six-catch, 107-yard performance against Carolina last season.

Bradberry said a key factor in his Week 9 success was his ability to jam Evans at the line of scrimmage. It’s something he plans to replicate this Sunday.

“I think I just knocked him off his landmark,” Bradberry said. “In each offense, you’re going to run certain routes and have certain landmarks — I think I was just knocking him off his landmark because I was able to get up there and press him. That was pretty much my goal.

“It can also be a bad thing, too, because if you miss it might be over with. You’ve got to make sure you get your hands on him and slow him down, that’s pretty much the whole goal when you get up there on the line.”

For the second time this season, Carolina faces a red-hot Evans — who is averaging six catches for 118 yards over his past two games. Bradberry said his familiarity with Evans has helped him prepare, but he’s also ready to see the best of the player with the fourth-most receiving yards in the league since Bradberry was drafted.

“I’m sure he’s going to want to get back on me and get his game going again,” he said. “I’m prepared for it, it’s going to be a tough challenge any time I face him, so I’m going to have the same mentality I did the first game.”

Perhaps the same mentality will produce the same results. Carolina, which desperately needs a victory after three straight losses, certainly hopes so.